7
Volume2 Issue1
|
CDA
at
W
ork
CommunityConnections
C
ommunity engagement has always
been important to me. For several
years, I volunteered on the parent-
teacher association at my children’s
high schools and the town’s recrea-
tioncommission.Andofcourse I’vealwaysenjoyed
aspecial connectionwithmycommunity through
the relationshipsdevelopedwithmypatients.
But that feeling of fellowship is more difficult
to maintain when your community
extends beyond the boundaries
of your hometown, as is true of
the Canadian dental community.
That’swhyCDAhasbeenworkingon
initiatives designed to connect and
support dentists across the country.
CDA initiatives introduced in 2014
are making it easier for dentists to
learn about issues affecting the profession, share
experiences and expertise, and manage daily
transactions in theiroffices.
I certainly hope that 2015 will build on the
momentum that CDA started last year—a year of
manyfirsts. CDAheld the inaugural National Oral
Health Action Plan Symposium (which will be
followed by a second event on February 26,
2015); completed the first year of publication for
CDA Essentials
, a new magazine for Canadian
dentists; launched
CDAOasis
, CDA’s first mo-
bile app (p. 9); and began to rollout the
CDA Practice Support Services website, a
new self-serve website for dentists and
office staff (p. 13).
Focusing on the 2 most recent initiatives,
theCDAOasisapp—amobileversionof con-
tent foundon theOasisDiscussionswebsite—
rekindles conversations across the coun-
try by providing information and per-
spectives on issues pertinent to the
profession. App users will have access to expert
clinical advice through Oasis Help and JCDA.ca
along with a link to the CDA website. More in-
terestingly, the app’s potential for interactivity
means Canadian dentists can be involved in
creating content. Dentists can submit their own
questions, comments or challenging clinical
cases, and tap into the knowledge and experi-
ence of your dental colleagues. And if you're shy
about sharing suchmaterial online, rest assured
that all content is vettedbyCDA staff
before going live—and you can re-
mainanonymous if youwish.
Through the CDA Practice Support
Services website, CDA is making
someaspectsof yourofficemanage-
ment easier. When a new dentist
joins the practice, the new website
provides amore efficient process for registering
a dentist in an office in preparation for trans-
mitting e-claims. It also provides dentists with
a CDA Digital ID, an important security meas-
ure that guards against fraudsters and simplifies
the claims process for the dental office. If you
haven’tbeenable tovisit thenewwebsiteyet, be
patient: it is being introduced across the country
in stages. The website was launched in Alberta
inNovember 2014, andwill bemorewidelyavail-
able this spring.
These are just some examples of howCDA con-
tinues to provide services that offer substantial
value to dentists. By supporting the practice
environment, CDA is helping dentists achieve
their goal of quality patient care. Making strong-
er community connections is a New Year’s reso-
lution I can feel good about; I hope you’ll feel
inspired to do the same. May the year ahead be
anoutstandingand successful year for all.
GaryMacDonald,dds
Supporting your practice and
From thePresident
